The Change of Serenity
by Paru-chan
Summary: It's Ami's birthday, and with all the other Senshi off doing their own thing, having forgotten it, only Usagi comes along. But in that evening, something horrible happens, something to cause, "A Change in Serenity"... Rated for character death.


The Change of Serenity  
Ami smiled, giggling to herself. It was to be her sixteenth birthday tomorrow, and even though her mom wasn't going to be home that week, she was going to invite all of her other senshi friends for an overnight. She held her textbook close to her and headed off. Walking up the steps to Rei's Shinto shrine, she saw Rei sweeping, and as Rei looked up, waved. "Hey Ami-chan. What are you doing here for?" Rei asked, walking over to Ami with a smile.  
  
"Hi Rei-chan. I was wondering, would you come to my birthday overnight?" She asked. Rei's eyes widened and with a curse she through her broom to the side. "No, I *can't*. I'm so sorry Ami. I forgot all about your birthday tomorrow. My idiot grandfather wants to stay up with a bunch of friends drinking, and I have to keep an eye on him. He's already crazy enough as it is. Rei smack her forehead with her hand, and sighed shaking her head.  
  
"Its okay," Ami said, her smile wavering. "I'm going to ask the others too. We can save you some cake for tomorrow." She looked at the time and the sun getting lower and gasped. "As a matter of fact, I better hurry!!!" Rei and Ami hugged, before Ami rushed off to Makoto's house.  
  
"Mako-chan!" Ami called, knocking on the door to Makoto's house. "Are you there Mako-chan?" The door creaked over slightly and Makoto stepped out, with a broom and a wild eyed look. "WhatisitAmi- chanHurrybecauseIhavetocleanbecauseChildren'sServicesarecoming overtocheckhowIamlivingtomakesureIcanlivebymyselfsoIhavetocleanandcleanandcl ean."  
  
Ami blinked in confusion before diciphering the sentence, and making a decision on good judgment. "Its nothing Mako-chan. I just wanted to wish you good luck."  
  
"ThankssomuchAmi-chanJaNe!" Makoto blurted out before closing the door in Ami's face. Ami sighed before heading off to Minako's, her shoulders drooping.  
  
As she neared Minako's, she heard yelling through the windows. A bit shaken she rung the door bell. Minako's rarely seen father stepped out the door with an angry face. "And I bet you are one of the gangsters that have Minako sneaking out all the time!!!!" He yelled. "You stay away from our daughter or suffer the consequences!!!" He slammed the door in Ami's face and she ran over to Minako's window, still pale in fear. Throwing a couple rocks on Minako's window, she waited until Minako opened it.  
  
"Sorry Ami-chan!" Minako called from her second story window."He's drunk tonight, and although it doesn't happen very often, he rages." Minako rubbed a bruise on her cheek. "Good thing about it is he won't remember a thing in the morning. I've got a major audition tomorrow, and would hate to be grounded till I'm eighteen." The window closed and Ami walked toward Usagi's house, depressed. It was darker now, and she wiped a tear away from her face.  
  
She knocked on the door to Usagi's house, not hoping much. As Usagi's mother opened the door with a smile she felt a bit better, until she heard those words. "Oh, hello Ami-chan. You can go see Usagi up in her room, but she's getting ready for a date with that nice boy Mamoru."  
  
Ami ran up into Usagi's room, and closed the door behind her, before leaning against the door, and slipping down in, bursting out in tears. Usagi jumped once in fright, but when she turned around and saw who it was, she rushed over to Ami, the back of her fancy dress not yet zipped. "What is it Ami-chan?!" She cried out, hugging Ami.  
  
"No -sob- one -sob- can come -sob- to my -sob- birth -sob- day over -sob- night." She bawled. Usagi opened her eyes wide at the news. "No one?" She questioned. Ami shook her head. "Poor Ami-chan. We'll just have to fix that." Ami looked up with tears streaming down her face, wide eyed.  
  
Usagi stood up in heroic pose, somewhat ruined by the back of her dress falling open and stated; "I will just have to call off my date with Mamo-chan!!!" She rushed over to the phone and called Mamoru, as Ami watched with a disbelieving look. Walking back to Ami, Usagi smiled. "Mamo- chan understood, like he always does. Now we have to tell my parents." Ami broke out into a bright smile and grabbed Usagi in a hug. "Oh thank you Usa- chan!!! Oh thank you oh thank you oh thank you!"  
  
After telling her parents they headed off to Ami's apartment. "There'll be a lot of cake Usa-chan, you think you can handle that?" Ami asked.  
  
"HAI!" Usagi shouted. "CAKE!"  
  
"But we won't be eating it until midnight, when my birthday starts. My mom will be at the hospital all night, so it will just be us to." Ami stated.  
  
"And Luna," Usagi said, taking a ruffled Luna out of her backpack. Luna jumped on Ami's shoulder.  
  
"Usagi, how dare you put me in there?!" Luna cried.  
  
"Luuu-naaaaa. I wanted to sneak you ouuuuttt." Usagi whined.  
  
"You've carried me out plenty of times in front of your parents. Why did you have to sneak me out now?!" Luna growled.  
  
Usagi dropped her head in shame. "It was more fun..."  
  
"FUN??!?!???!"  
  
Ami giggled at the scene. "Come on Usa-chan, that wasn't very nice."  
  
Usagi sighed. "I'll never get a break, will I?" She asked.  
  
When they finally reached Ami's apartment, it was well past ten. Sitting down on the plush leather sofa, Ami realized how tired she was. Taking the cake out of the freezer, she turned to Usagi. "Usa-chan, I'm trusting you to take care of this cake until midnight. No Youma, animal or person will get any cake when it is in your care, right?"  
  
"Hai Ami-chan! But, I have your gift, and I want to give it to you *now*!!!" Usagi said.  
  
Ami giggled. "Okay Usa-chan, okay."  
  
Usagi took a plain silver ring out of her pocket. "Luna keeps nagging me to learn control, so I made this with my magic on the way over, and I want you to have it." She said, giving it to Ami.  
  
Ami didn't know what was so special about it until she stuck it on her ring finger and it adjusted to fit her finger, turning blue, and showing Mercury's insignia on a blue mound in the middle. Ami turned around and hugged Usagi. "I love it!" She cried, very pleased with the gift.  
  
"Thats not the only thing. If Mako-chan wore it it would show her sig, and the same with everyone else. But it won't come off your finger until you die, although it will change with age and outfit. Since it is made with my magic it is a little bit of me to carry around forever. Isn't it great!?"  
  
Ami nodded with tear in her eyes, smiling. But with a yawn, she almost fell over. Usagi giggled. "Don't worry Ami, take a nap and I'll wake you uo a little before midnight. I'll guard the cake too!"  
  
"I trust you Usagi," Ami said, laying down on the sofa with a soft smile on her face. She closed her eyes and went to sleep.  
  
Usagi stood guard over the cake, like a soldier, although she wanted to eat it so bad herself. When it was closer to midnight she was practically drooling in anticipation. She had gotten some black paper and markers and had decorations hung up everywhere for Ami, and music ready to play for her party. Usagi decided to light the candles on Ami's birthday cake before waking her up.  
  
As she searched around for some matches she curled her nose at the funny rotten egg type stench coming out of the vents. "Something must had died and is rotting in the vent." She closed the vent, and tried to wave her hands around to clear the smell, but it had already filled the room. She sighed and sprayed some fruity body spray to make it not smell as much.  
  
Leaning over the cake she took out the matches and with one eyes squinted and her tongue sticking out in concentration, she scraped the match across the sand paper..... BOOM!!! Fire was everywhere, in her hair, on the table, on the carpet, everywhere! She screamed and tried to put it out but it was no use.  
  
Ami woke up at the screaming and look at the fire surrounding her, and all over Usagi. She reached out and tried to grasp Usagi's hand, but in those few seconds, several things happened. The clock turned to twelve. Usagi died. And in a flash of energy, the princess and Senshi of Mercury was no more. Ami screamed at the memories that were not hers rushing into her head, and fainted, curled up over Luna.  
  
As she awoke once more, she was aware of flashing lights, the weight of Luna on her chest, and someone saying something to her mother next to her. "It was a gas leak Mrs. Mizuno. I have no idea how your daughter survived, but she did and was perfectly okay. Do you have any idea who the other female body was?"  
  
Ami pushed up of the stretcher, tears dripping down her face. "It was my best and dearest friend Usagi Tsukino. She was a true friend, and a true hero." She swung her legs over the side of the stretcher, and Luna looked up at Ami with a knowing look and tears in her eyes.  
  
The rest of the conversation faded out, as she looked down at her hand, and saw the ring had changed. It was silver and smooth. At the bottom, there was a cresent moon, and the top was what looked like a diamond but was really the ginzoushou, Silver Imperiam Crystal. And as she looked down and the Moon's Royal Insignia, she knew her life had changed forever.  
  
A.N. I'm sooo gonna get flamed for this. It isn't my fault! I had this fanfiction as dream a long time ago, and wrote it down. I recently went through my old files and decided to post this!  
  
Please be kind!  
  
Also, this is a one shot. If anyone wants to create a story using this idea, I don't mind, and long as they use me as a beta.  
  
~Paru-chan  
  
hummingbird1@westwindstudio.com 


End file.
